Our Favorite Films of 2016 and Our Struggle to Explain Why We Love Them

By Sarah Soliman and Lori Zakalik, JBFC Marketing Department

WARNING: We tried to make this post as spoiler-free as possible. To be safe, if there is a film on this list that you have not seen, trust us that it’s good, watch it, and then read what we had to say.

American Honey
Sarah: I watched this and immediately it was in my top 5 for the year. Beautiful cinematography and nature are irresistible to me, and Andrea Arnold not only made a beautiful looking movie, she also connects the main character, Star (Sasha Lane), so closely to the natural world. Everything in the film feels so organic. I thought it was one of the best depictions of teenage girlhood that I’ve ever seen.
Lori: One of the things I loved about this film was how it completely upended my expectations of it. I went into this thinking it was going to be a film about the great American road trip and the wonders and freedom of youth. And while it was that, in a sense, it was very different from how I imagined. Instead of featuring America’s vast open roads in cinemascope, Arnold chooses to screen her film in 4:3, creating a tight, almost claustrophobic feeling. Adding to that, our protagonist, Star, is stuck in a small, crowded van for most of the film. Certainly not the ideal way to experience America. But given Star’s circumstances, and the job she’s fallen into, it makes sense for the audience to feel as simultaneously trapped and free as Star does. It was a beautiful film about youth in America, and an incredible glimpse into the lives of others in this country, rarely seen in the northeast bubble I live in.

Arrival
Lori: I love a good alien flick. But, as a result, I’m also very critical of them. Arrival was fantastic and completely original. Going in to the screening, I thought this was going to be another Independence Day-like world invasion, but it wasn’t. It was a completely original concept, and a smart one at that. I absolutely loved Amy Adams character, and since you don’t often get smart, strong women in sci-fi films, that was a huge plus for me.
Sarah: Louise (Amy Adams) was immediately intriguing to me because she’s a mix of things you don’t often see in women in cinema. She’s very vulnerable. When we first meet her we’re seeing her through the lens of the tragedy she’s been through. Then we see how intelligent she is. She’s an academic, a linguist, and she’s also curious and brave. This might be my favorite performance from an actress this year. To your point about it being an original concept, the design of the aliens was so innovative. They’re eerily beautiful, and depending on how they move they look like different things, hands or spiders or tree roots or squids, it was unlike anything else I can recall.
Lori: Yes, I appreciated that these aliens weren’t monsters or little green men. And I found it very poignant that the film focused on how to communicate with “the other,” a topic of global importance given the current state of the world. I loved that it was a woman who had the patience, heart, intelligence, openness, and personality to connect and communicate with the aliens! Once again, hooray for strong women in sci-fi!
Sarah: It’s just such a good movie.

Certain Women
Lori: One of the first things I talked about after seeing this film was the title. It’s about women who are certain of what they want and also about certain types of women. I really loved that this was a female director, with three strong female characters, and three intersecting stories. A criticism I read of the film was that it was boring and nothing happened, but within each story, there was so much emotion and the performances were subtle. It was an understated film, for sure, but each story spoke so well to what it’s like to be a woman in the United States today.
Sarah: My least favorite criticism of a film is that nothing happens. It’s never the case.

Everybody Wants Some!!
Sarah: The most enjoyable film this year, for me. It’s both about having all the time in the world and how fleeting time actually is. It takes place over the course of one weekend, the weekend before college classes start, and it feels like the characters have no responsibilities and all the time and freedom in the world, but then every once in a while the film lets you know how many hours they have until classes begin. It’s funny and entertaining, but also a poignant exploration of being young and relatively free of responsibility. Another thing Everybody Wants Some!! does that is lovely, is it shows its characters moving through all possible social circles. They’re jocks who spend time at a disco, then at a country bar. They go to a punk concert and there’s a great scene where they go to a party thrown by the artsy theater students. It’s almost a utopian vision of how things can be when you’re young and unsure exactly who you are, so you’re open to all possibilities.

The Fits
Sarah: This is an inscrutable film, and it’s rare to see a movie that doesn’t give you any answers. That’s what struck me most about The Fits.
Lori: Exactly. The end leaves you questioning what happened to Toni (Royalty Hightower) and what “the fits” even are. I had discussions for days after seeing this film, and that’s the mark of a good movie. What are the fits? Is it mass hysteria? Is it puberty? Does Toni really experience it or is she faking because of her need to fit in?
Sarah: I think if you did get a definitive answer it would be less satisfying.
Lori: Also, the score was fantastic and contributed greatly to this sense of dread. There were a lot of scenes where I expected something terrible to happen, and while it never did, the score had my heart racing. Also, this is a film directed by a woman and starring women and girls. I loved that as well!

Green Room
Lori: Anton 🙁 That’s all I know about it because I never saw it.
Sarah: I saw the film when it came out, before Anton died, so it is inextricable from my sadness over his passing. Every time I think about Green Room I remember being excited because it seemed like it was the next step for his career. I thought “Anton Yelchin is about to make so many fascinating films.” That aside, it’s a visceral thriller. Jeremy Saulnier makes you think it’s gorier than it is because he makes you imagine some truly gruesome things, and you imagine them quite graphically. That ability to make you believe that you’ve seen something far worse than what you’ve really seen is astounding.

The Handmaiden
Sarah: This is another great film featuring complicated, intelligent women. For a while, I thought this was going to be a film about women betraying each other and then it’s not that all at. The twists are so well constructed. I think it’s a film that will really reward repeat viewings, and be a joy to watch because it’s such a beautiful film to look at.
Lori: It just looked beautiful, and I’m still listening to the fantastic score on Spotify! I did not like the two main female characters at the beginning, but from there began shifting empathy back and forth throughout the film. If you’re worried it will be too “raunchy” for you, I feel that everything that was done was in service to the story, not gratuitous.

La La Land
Lori: What can I say? I don’t care for musicals and I thought this would be cheesy, but it was great. The film looked great, the music was fun, and the story really hit home for me. We all know what it’s like to have a dream, however unattainable, so this story is universal and relatable. While I love Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s chemistry together, I am sensitive to the lack of diversity in the cast and felt that either of one those characters could have been played by a person of color.
Sarah: It’s visually striking. The fantasy sequences were the highlight for me, I would have liked them incorporated more throughout the entire film. This is a film with individual scenes that were captivating. The fantasy sequences, their meeting at the party and the walk they take to her car were so charming. You’re wondering if they actually like each other or not, and then at the end of that scene we find out that he does really like her, but it’s done with such a simple visual cue. The dinner confrontation was also a stand-out moment. There were parts of La La Land where I thought, “I just want this to last forever.”

The Lobster
Sarah: What a weird movie. In a good way. Obviously. There should be more surrealism in movies. That ending…talk about things you could never see coming and things that don’t give you answers.
Lori: I haven’t seen it since May, but I remember thinking holy shit Colin Farrell can act. I can’t believe this is Colin Farrell. I mean, he was good in In Bruges, but I can’t remember anything else where I was this impressed with him.
Sarah: That is a gross misunderstanding of Colin Farrell.
Lori: Apparently it is. I’m sorry everyone. But I found The Lobster incredibly original. What a world! What a dystopian nightmare that would be! I also wonder what animal I would come back as. I still don’t know. Probably a cockroach because they’re survivors. I’d say elephant but I don’t want to be poached for my ivory. But I digress. I just remember walking out there thinking it was depressing but really interesting. Could this happen? What has dating become in our society and are we that far removed from the reality in this film?
Sarah: Terrifying.
Lori: I’d rather be single than become an animal.
Sarah: But then you get hunted in the woods. I don’t know what animal I would want to be. I always think I want to be something in the ocean but then I’m like, no, I want to avoid jellyfish. I don’t like sharks. I could be a jellyfish, then I would have nothing to fear.
Lori: Except sharks still.
Sarah: I don’t think sharks eat jellyfish. Although it’s possible I only think that because of another film that came out this year, The Shallows.

Manchester by the Sea
Sarah: All I want to talk about for the rest of my life is Manchester by the Sea. This is my favorite movie of the year, possibly of several years. Every performance in it is so subtle and when the film hands out its emotional blows, which are devastating, the subtly of the performances make those moments so real. The other effect of that is so much of what happened in the film has hit me in waves in the weeks since I’ve seen the movie. There’s emotional weight to moments at the beginning of the film that doesn’t fully hit you until you’ve seen it all. I feel like I’m still discovering what the movie has to offer. I have not stopped thinking about it since I saw it. It just lives inside me now; it’s claimed a piece of my soul.

Moonlight
Sarah: Sarah and Lori dissolve into sobs.
Lori: Rip my heart out. Kali Maaaaa.
Sarah: Everything about Moonlight is perfect. The music is perfect. The cinematography is perfect. The location is perfect. I read an article in which Tarrell Alvin McCraney described Miami as a “beautiful nightmare.” Moonlight visually captures that in ways you can’t imagine any other film doing. It’s a warm, welcoming looking film, while Chiron’s life is heartbreaking. I only have hyperbolic things to say, but they’re not hyperbolic. Moonlight is exquisite, it’s breathtaking, it’s perfect.
Lori: When it ended I said, “that movie was perfect.” Heartbreaking but also hopeful. Watching Chiron grown up, seeing what his circumstances were, thinking about how many people have it just as bad or worse, was devastating. When Chiron asks Juan, “Does my mom do drugs?” and “Do you sell drugs?,” Juan can’t lie to him. Juan cries and it’s so powerful. It was incredible to see a drug dealer portrayed as human.
Sarah: One of the things I loved so much about this film was the performances. Andre Holland, who plays the adult Kevin brings such a light to the final portion of the film. Each actor who plays Chiron is incredible. Mahershala Ali is such a permanent presence throughout the film. In the third act his presence is so strongly felt even though he isn’t on screen. He’s almost iconic within the film. You’re totally right, we don’t see drug dealers portrayed this way. He’s the only character with a steady relationship. And to have it be with a calming presence like Janelle Monae, their relationship is a highlight of the film for me. Juan is so unexpected. When young Chiron asks “What’s a faggot?” Juan explains it in such a kind and gentle way, the whole movie upends your expectations.
Lori: Any stereotype the audience might have about these characters is destroyed in this film. I just loved it. I can’t stop thinking about it and I can’t wait to watch it again. I’m excited to see how it does at the Academy Awards.

OJ: Made in America
Lori: I don’t even know what to say about this. For me, it was such thorough, engaging storytelling. Everything you’d need to know about OJ’s life, the time period, the culture surrounding him, his views on civil rights, were all given a spotlight so you could really understand the magnitude and significance of his court case. As someone who was about 9 years old when the trial was going on, I knew about it, but I did not know the weight the trial held or how famous OJ actually was. It was absolutely fascinating to me that OJ spent his entire adult life trying to distance himself from the Black community. Then, during his trial, he was presented as a Black man who was a victim of racism in order to appeal to the community that he was so neglectful of. He used the Black community when he needed them but otherwise he surrounded himself with white people and was known to say, “I’m not Black. I’m OJ.” And the historical footage featuring racial injustice and protest riots were all too similar to scenes we witnessed in 2016. It was eerie to watch this documentary at a time in our history when the fight for racial equality has again become so visible in our media.

Sing Street
Sarah: This was another film where music was, not to make a pun, instrumental in my enjoyment of the movie. The characters are so lovable, and Conor ( Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and Brendan’s ( Jack Reynor) relationship feels so real. Jack Reynor, in particular, was a real revelation for me this year. It’s a sweet, fun film, but the music is what makes it that extra bit special. It’s about finding your identity through artistic expression and it uses pop music, to wonderful effect, to tell that story.

Swiss Army Man/Hunt for the Wilderpeople/Captain Fantastic
Sarah: These three films, even though all good on their own, complement each other so well. They’re all wilderness fantasies. They’re all about men living out in the wild, each for their own reasons. I saw them all within a month of each other and found it fascinating.
Lori: I didn’t see Captain Fantastic but Swiss Army Man and Hunt for the Wilderpeople were both such fun adventure films with a lot of heart. In both films, these characters are living out in the wilderness because society rejects them or frowns upon them. I cried during Swiss Army Man because it really showed the effect society has on imagination and originality. What Hank (Paul Dano) created in the forest was beautiful, but once society is brought in and breaks the illusion, Hank just seems crazy. Hunt for the Wilderpeople felt like a buddy comedy. I love Sam Neill and Julian Dennison is such a terrific actor. The two of them felt so comfortable together. And again, you have two people living happily together, but society says there is something wrong with them. It again made me think about how reserved we must be to “fit in.” The music in both films was awesome and I highly recommend checking out the soundtracks on Spotify.
Sarah: I agree completely that the music, especially in Swiss Army Man, was essential in my enjoyment of the film. It also has the best movie line of the year: “If you don’t know Jurassic Park you don’t know shit.”

The Witch
Lori: First of all, I woudst like to live deliciously. Second, Black Philip/DanRad farting corpse 2020.
But in all seriousness, there was too much about this film that I loved. In terms of the story, it was so much more than a horror film. It was basically a cautionary tale; through fear you’ll turn people into the things you fear—a very current cautionary tale given the political climate. The other thing I loved about this film was the amount of work that went into making it authentic. The director studied colonial New England, the houses were authentic, the costumes were sewn by hand. It looked amazing and the acting was superb. Also, anytime you have creepy animals and twins you’ve got a great horror film.